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Saturday, June 6, 2020

Known as the Funplex amusement park, it looks like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, will have a small new outdoor park in 2021. The park, which will be built on what is currently a parking lot, will stretch about a block near the beach, and feature a handful of rides including a family roller coaster.

The concept art up top shows what is planned for the property. The roller coaster looks like the SBF Visa coaster featuring 'hamster wheel' cars that allow riders to invert tons of times while going around the track, along with some spinning cars in the train. We first saw this at IAAPA and for thrill seekers it looks like a blast.

This overhead view of the Funplex amusement park comes from a local news story, and shows more of the rides that will be available. There are a few flat rides, the roller coaster, a drop tower and a couple items for the smaller kids.

Myrtle Beach has long been home to Family Kingdom, a classic beach side amusement park. Funplex will join it in the city's tourist offerings.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Similar to Silver Dollar City's recent announcement, Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country let fans know that they will reopen to the public on June 17th, with two season passholder days on June 15th and 16th. Further, Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa will open on June 10th.

The park's COVID-19 plan looks very similar to the one that Silver Dollar City released, and is available to check out at this link.

Like its sister park, Dollywood will be utilizing temperature screenings, require face masks, and limiting attendance. Passholders will reserve a date to visit and other tickets will be sold only for the date that a guests wishes to attend.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas will kick off their season on June 19th, when members and season pass holders can visit the park. That extends through the 21st of June, after which the general public my purchase tickets. As stated earlier, all guests must have a reservation to visit the park, and abide by all safety regulations that Six Flags has put in place. We've covered all of Six Flags' changes previously, so we will not repeat them each time a park reopens.

Also of note, the park's website is still showing the park's 2019 attraction on the "what's new" page, so it is still not clear if they intend to open Dare Devil Dive this year or not.

Six Flags Over Texas is also opening on June 19th for members and season pass holders, then the general public on June 22nd. Same as with Fiesta Texas, reservations will be required in order to visit the park.

Right now, the park's new water splash ride, Aquaman Power Wave, is still listed on the "what's new" tab, though it is not clear if the ride will be ready when the park opens.

Elsewhere in Texas, the Six Flags chain will also open Hurricane Harbor on June 18th.

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Silver Dollar City has announced that they will reopen to the general public on June 15th, following two days of exclusive operations for season pass holders. The park's nearby water park, White Water, will open on June 17th also following two season pass holder exclusive days. Finally, the Showboat Branson Belle will open on June 20th.

To monitor safety at the theme park, a variety of changes will be implemented. You can read more about them in detail on the park's website.

The park will require season pass holders to reserve a date for their visit, and day-ticket visitors will have tickets that are only valid for the day they choose. This will allow the park to monitor attendance. Physical distancing will be in full effect across the park, including in stores, food areas, and on rides. Indoor theaters and indoor play areas will remain closed for the time being.

Temperature checks will be done prior to entering the park, and both guests aged three and up and employees will have to wear masks. Of course, the park will be cleaning and sanitizing all areas frequently throughout the day.

I don't see any update on the park's website as to whether or not their new water ride, Mystic River Falls, will be operating on the 15th. The park has only shared some small tidbits of the ride in the off-season, prior to the pandemic, so it's hard to tell exactly how far along the ride is. We won't have long to wait to find out, though!

Monday, June 1, 2020

Wild Water West, a water park located in South Dakota, surprised us all earlier in the year by revealing that they were planning on building one of Rocky Mountain Construction's Raptor track roller coasters. The park received permission to build the ride, which will be their largest major non-water amusement attraction, and initially construction would have started in April for the ride to be open some time in August.

The pandemic had other plans, however, and with that construction timeline no longer possible the park has announced that they are delaying the new coaster until 2021. The park plans to start construction this fall, so that the ride is ready to open with the park next year.

This story notes that the park was signing the contracts for the coaster when the pandemic began, and the manufacturer had to do some furloughs which also contributed to the delayed timeline.

While disappointing, it's certainly understandable that a smaller park like this takes a little time to breath before taking on a coaster that will elevate it to a new level for visitors. The Rocky Mountain Construction Raptor rides are some of the most intense compact coasters out there, and Wild Water West visitors are in for a thrill in 2021!

Wild Water West has already opened for the 2020 season, with plenty of COVID-19 changes in place to keep employees and visitors safe.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

After receiving approval from the state over this weekend, Busch Gardens Tampa
has been
cleared to reopen on June 11th. That will come after a preview day for employees on June 10th, which
is similar to what SeaWorld Orlando is planning.

Fingers crossed that Iron Gwazi will be able to open soon! We know the
park was testing it before the pandemic closure, so construction of the ride
was very far along. There were also some billboards put up right as the
park closed advertising that the ride was open, so obviously we were really,
really close to seeing that coaster open to guests.

The park got its final approval over this weekend so the park's website hasn't really
been updated yet, so we will have to wait for more information on
Iron Gwazi. It's certainly one of the most anticipated new coasters of 2020,
advertised as the North America's tallest and the world's fastest and steeped
hybrid roller coaster.

As for changes to the park, it appears as though at least initially all
SeaWorld Entertainment parks will have the same COVID-19 practices in place. That
means Busch Gardens Tampa will be the same as SeaWorld Orlando, more
information on their plans can be found
here.

Saturday, May 30, 2020

We only know so far that Cedar Fair's two Schlitterbahn parks in Texas plan to reopen in mid-June, and the rest of the company's parks are still waiting on local governments to give them the go ahead to open. While those details are worked out, Cedar Fair has sent out more detailed news on how they plan to operate their parks in the 'new normal' pandemic world.

Most of the changes they detailed are related to the use of new technology and the parks' existing mobile apps to "enable a safe and efficient park reopening experience for its guests and associates." The changes will affect how visitors plan and prepare for their trips, when they arrive at the park and throughout their stay.

Before arrival guests will make required reservations online or through the park's app, picking a specific arrival time on the day of their choice. This will allow parks to limit attendance to keep in line with state and local health guidelines. Once booked, guests will get a "time-bound entry voucher" that will show in the park's app. The apps themselves will be beefed up to inform guests of changes at the parks due to the pandemic. Additionally, season passes will be able to be processed in the app instead of in person at the park.

Arriving at the park will require an "initial health check," and guests with the park's app can complete most of the health questionnaire prior to visiting. No details on the rest of the process, such as a possible temperature screening, were revealed. Additionally, face mask rules were not covered here the news was mostly related to technological changes.

While in the park a focus will be placed on cashless payment methods to limit interaction, "reduce touchpoints and expenses, as well as improve efficiency and throughput." Mobile food ordering via the app is being started at 4 parks in 2020, though which parks was not stated.

The app will also be used to "monitor potential overcrowding in various areas of the park throughout
the day; this will help determine where to deploy crowd control measures
and enable appropriate social distancing. These modules will also
direct guests to the closest hand sanitizing stations." I have to wonder if a certain part of a park gets too crowded, if the app will alert guests to move on to another area?

Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman said, “The safety of our guests and associates has always been, and will always be, our highest priority. I’m pleased that our internal health and safety experts, as well as state and local government officials, have informed the development and implementation of these technology enhancements which, when combined with our other in-park safety procedures being implemented, should help renew the public’s confidence when visiting our parks. Our more robust suite of mobile technologies not only strengthens the safety measures recommended by health officials, but also offers exciting, guest-friendly alternatives that could very well enhance the overall guest experience for the long term,” said Zimmerman.

Hopefully the coming week will reveal which of the chain's amusement parks will be the first to reopen under these guidelines!

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was founded in 2006, when Mike made the pivotal decision to share his
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NPN remained a solo effort until October 2008, when Mike welcomed three
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"NPN team" was officially born. The team was again expanded in March of 2011 Kevin joined as a writer. Simply stated, we are a group of writers
who love the industry and it is our honor and privilege to share that
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